This invention relates to a new and improved tamper-evident container cap having seal disc retention means.
Foil and foam plastic liner seals have been used to close the necks of containers as a means to assist detecting tampering with the contents of the container. Such seals are commercially available, are applied to the container neck and are caused to adhere thereto by induction heating or other means. To facilitate installation on the container neck, the seal disc is preferably initially inserted in the cap of the present invention at the time of manufacture of the cap. After the cap has been applied to the container neck, the foil seal comes into contact with the neck. Induction heating or other means then causes the seal disc to adhere to the neck finish. One of the features of the cap hereinafter described is the formation of the upper internal locking bead with inward-projecting lugs at either end of the locking bead section. The upper bead, as well as the inward-projecting lugs, hold the liner seal in place prior to the cap being applied to the container. Thus the tendency of the seal disc to be dislodged from the cap prior to application to the container neck is overcome.
Other features and advantages of the invention are set forth in said U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,484,687 and 4,676,389, both of which disclose interrupted upper seal beads on the interior of the cap skirt, as well as the use of seal discs.
Other objects of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification and referring to the accompanying drawings in which similar characters of reference represent corresponding parts in each of the several views.